1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to footwear, and in particular to a footwear with integral bubble generator.
2. Background of the Invention
It is uncertain when footwear use first commenced. It is probable that the first foot coverings in cold climates consisted of animal fur wrappings. In warm climates, the first footwear was sandals made of plant fibers or leather. The ancient Egyptians wore such footwear as early as 3700 B.C.; in their time the Greeks and Romans followed suit. Occasionally, soft leather shoes were worn.
In China, wooden-soled shoes were worn thousands of years ago, and the Indians of North America used moccasins of animal skins before the Europeans first arrived. Most New World settlers wore sturdy leather shoes, although some used the native moccasins.
Until the 1800's, shoes were made with simple hand tools. Improved sewing machines were developed during the late 1800's, and helped turn shoemaking into a factory operation. In 1882 Jan Ernst Matzeliger, a worker in a Massachusetts shoe factory, invented the shoe-lasting machine, which greatly facilitated shoemaking. With the automation of shoemaking, the price of footwear fell dramatically, and their availability increased accordingly.
Since ancient times, shoes have not only been worn for protection, but also for decoration and to indicate social status. For example, Western Europeans wore shoes with long, pointed toes for several centuries until the 1500's. Women's shoe fashions changed to rounded toes during the 1500's, low heels by the late 1500's, and to high heels during the 1600's.
Today, shoes are still worn for protection, to indicate social status, and for fashion reasons. In addition, many novelty type shoes have surfaced in recent years, including lighted shoes, sound-generating shoes, and scent-emitting shoes.
Existing Designs
Some examples of these novelty shoes include Pryor, granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,768 for a Sneaker With Built In Atomizer For Improved Traction, and Lecates, Jr., who was granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,376 for a sneaker which simulated the sight and sound of a snake.
Other examples of novelty shoes include Raskas et al., who were granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,111 for a record and playback means for footwear, and Reid et al., who received U.S. Pat, No. 5,461,814 for a scent dispenser which could be removably mounted to a boot and be used to emit an animal-attracting scent, or to disguise the scent of human beings. Other U.S. Patents were granted to Decker and Longo (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,185,942 and 5,159,768) for a sandal integrating a lotion container, and for a shoe with a music generating unit in its tongue, respectively.
On the lighter side, Villar was granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,293 for novel footwear which incorporated an animated face with movable eyes. And for the night club crowd, Dana, III was granted U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,922 for Flashing Discoshoes, which incorporated a solid state oscillator circuit for flashing a shoe-mounted light on and off; the shoes could also be set to flash to the time of the wearer's dance steps!